Market Orientation
Heiens / Market Orientation
Market Orientation: Toward an Integrated Framework
Richard A. Heiens University of South Carolina Aiken
Dr. Richard Heiens is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of South Carolina Aiken, School of Business Administration, 471 University Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801. (803) 641-3238. RichardH@Aiken.SC.edu
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY "Market orientation," may actually encompass several different approaches to the strategic alignment of the organization with the external environment. This article develops a market orientation typology matrix as a pedagogical and heuristic tool to summarize these distinct approaches. Specifically, firms can decide to focus primarily on either competitors or customers as the situation dictates, or perhaps attempt the difficult task of simultaneously monitoring both with equal emphasis. The proposed matrix includes four distinct approaches to market orientation: "customer preoccupied," "marketing warriors," "strategically integrated," and "strategically inept". Firms which emphasize customer-focused intelligence gathering activities at the expense of competitor information may be classified as "customer preoccupied". Because the marketing concept promotes putting the interests of customers first, many researchers consider a customer-focus to be the most fundamental aspect of market orientation. Because the marketing concept encourages a business to be forward looking, a customer-focused business is likely to be more interested in long-term business success as opposed to short-term profits. Firms that emphasize competitors in their external market analyses have been labeled "marketing warriors". Using target rivals as a frame of reference, competitor-focused firms seek to identify their own strengths and weaknesses and to keep pace with or stay ahead of the rest of the field. Because such competitors may frequently alter their strategic emphasis, a close monitoring of competitors is difficult yet
Market Orientation: Toward an Integrated Framework
Richard A. Heiens University of South Carolina Aiken
Dr. Richard Heiens is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of South Carolina Aiken, School of Business Administration, 471 University Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801. (803) 641-3238. RichardH@Aiken.SC.edu
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY "Market orientation," may actually encompass several different approaches to the strategic alignment of the organization with the external environment. This article develops a market orientation typology matrix as a pedagogical and heuristic tool to summarize these distinct approaches. Specifically, firms can decide to focus primarily on either competitors or customers as the situation dictates, or perhaps attempt the difficult task of simultaneously monitoring both with equal emphasis. The proposed matrix includes four distinct approaches to market orientation: "customer preoccupied," "marketing warriors," "strategically integrated," and "strategically inept". Firms which emphasize customer-focused intelligence gathering activities at the expense of competitor information may be classified as "customer preoccupied". Because the marketing concept promotes putting the interests of customers first, many researchers consider a customer-focus to be the most fundamental aspect of market orientation. Because the marketing concept encourages a business to be forward looking, a customer-focused business is likely to be more interested in long-term business success as opposed to short-term profits. Firms that emphasize competitors in their external market analyses have been labeled "marketing warriors". Using target rivals as a frame of reference, competitor-focused firms seek to identify their own strengths and weaknesses and to keep pace with or stay ahead of the rest of the field. Because such competitors may frequently alter their strategic emphasis, a close monitoring of competitors is difficult yet
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